1. "I Need To Have A Big Booth Space"
If you are a small company that is exhibiting a trade show for the first time, you might be asking yourself, “how big of a booth space should I have?” Ideally, it would be best to start with a 10×10 or 10×20 space. It is a great size for you to promote your brand without breaking your budget. It also gives you the opportunity to tip toe in the trade show world to understand what works best for your brand. You’ll have an idea of the different booth space you may want for your next show, for example, an island booth, peninsula booth, standard booth, etc. Don’t waste your trade show budget on a big booth space without having the knowledge of what works best for your company at a trade show.
2. Rush Hour
A mistake an exhibitor can make is when they are preparing for a show last minute and having to put a rush on all show supplies and booth production. As many can agree, “rush work is never good work “as it can been seen in the quality of your booth. Try to not purchase an inexpensive, low quality booth because of your budget. Your first impression is very important as your goal is to grab the attendee’s attention. With poor quality graphics/booth that aren’t vibrant and doesn’t send a clear message to who you are, can be a big trade show killer. Another problem an exhibitor comes across is a poorly booth design. While it may be nice to have tables and a seating area for your attendees, it can serve has a barrier to the attendees to walk through.
3. Wasting Tons of Money
Design a booth that will stand out but also be convenient when packaging and shipping to the show. If you’re planning on purchasing a wooden booth, be prepared to pay an expensive shipping cost. Wood is heavy and usually large in pieces so you will have sturdy, large crates to store the wood. You’ll find yourself paying extra on creates, storage, and weight just to ship it to the show. Don’t forget, the little things you add on such as hanging lights or signs – needs to be rigged by union staff at the show. Having to use union under any circumstances can actually cost you thousands of dollars. BUT this isn’t always a bad thing. If your company has exhibited many shows and created that exposure for your brand, it’s not such a bad thing to go out with a bang with your booth design. Find out what works best and makes sense for your company.
4. Popularity Over Importance
A very common mistake a new exhibitor make is showcasing their company at the wrong trade show. Popularity of the show shouldn’t determine if you should exhibit or not. Just because thousands of people attend the show doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to be interested in your company. For instances, comic con is the most popular event that happens around the world. Where people cosplay as their favorite fictional character. If your business doesn’t cater to that industry, you will be finding yourself wasting your trade show budget. Always do your research prior to the show to get an understanding of which companies are there and who will be attending.
5. Being "Cheapskate"
You might find that handing out giveaways and promotional items is a brilliant idea for marketing tool. Which in some cases can be, but if your giving away low-quality and cheap items such as pens, flashlights, lanyards, and notebooks, you will most likely be seeing your giveaways on the floor. Therefore, budget aside, it’s better to find a purpose for your giveaways. You can do other things like organizing a small contest or game. You will kill two birds with one stone with your budget which is giving out free prizes and engaging with your potential clients.
6. Being A Ghost
During your show, your goal of meeting many new clients was a success. The most crucial mistake you can do is not following up with them once the show is done. You will find yourself going back to work and putting all those leads either into a file cabinet or on the computer in a folder. In-depth data on trade shows has found out that, roughly 80 percent of exhibitors fail to come back into contact with their leads. Whether your client forgot about you or not, it’s better to put in the effort to call them back as it will look better for you and your company.
Published by Michael Techy :3
